Perhaps...

We’ve heard of a casual gamer turning hardcore, but a hardcore gamer turning casual? This is where I’m standing right now. I used to game for probably ten hours a day, and now I can barely stand to put in one. And it’s not because I don’t have the time. I just can’t seem to enjoy my hobby like I did in the past. Is this because I’ve grown up? Is this because gaming has changed? Or maybe I have changed.

First, what is hardcore gaming? A lot of people have different definitions for this. Many people think Halo or Call of Duty is hardcore. Others think Devil May Cry or Zelda is hardcore. Then there are games like Disgaea or Elder Scrolls that can be incredibly hardcore. All these games are different than games like Wii Sports or Virtua Cop which are considered pretty casual. Me personally, I think an MMORPG such as World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XI is about as hardcore as one can get.

Basically hardcore gaming is playing a game where you can put your time, energy, and focus. So to meet this requirement a game should be lengthy (or have re-playability), be challenging, and be deep. Any game can meet these requirements. Even so called “casual” seeming games can be hardcore if made for these purposes. Casual games are games people play for a quick burst of fun.

Wario Ware Inc. (GBA) – Games lasting 5 seconds can be hardcore if done like Wario. Wario offered hundreds of extremely short mini-games in one awesome package. Every mini game took quick reflexes and this built excitement; when a mini game was conquered, the player was rewarded with a new and exciting (and sometimes ridiculous) treat. This led to an incredibly deep and addicting experience, but also offered casual fun. I remember playing this more than Final Fantasy Tactics GBA.

So, with that out of the way, how am I now becoming a casual gamer? Well, heavy gaming is becoming harder for me to get into. Recently, my friend told me to play Portal. Now I will agree it was an awesome game, but I really didn’t even want to play after the 7th level. In fact, I didn’t even want to play at all. I didn’t tell him that, I just kind of forced myself to play it up until that point. I started getting bored instantly and my mind wandered.

This is just an example too! This kind of thing started happening to every game I played. I had to force myself to play anything. This was so strange to me. I was always that guy that could find fun in any game. Now I couldn’t find fun in ANY game? What happened to me?

The last game I have gotten completely immersed in was Demon’s Souls. That was last year around Christmas time. I played for hours a day. It was incredibly challenging and original. But after beating that game I just stopped wanting to play games completely. I couldn’t figure out why this was. Maybe I was just bored of games.

Demon’s Souls (PS3) – This game took perseverance and time to get even past the first couple of levels. If this game isn’t hardcore I don’t know what is. Even after beating the game, Demon’s Souls offered New Game+ mode. Beat that and it offered New Game++ mode. Then again; it just kept going on and on.

After Demon’s Souls I tried playing a few games but nothing clicked. I began to look at what type of games I have been playing. They were all single player. Yeah I won’t deny it I was a lone gamer. I remember when my friend used to come over to play Marvel vs. Capcom I would kick him out so I could play Zelda Wind Waker alone. I learned the problem with playing alone is that it can take the fun out of things.

About 10 or so months after Demon’s Souls, I barely played any games. I just wasn’t interested. Then I went to my friend’s house to hang out and we played Smash Bros Wii. Needless to say it was the first fun I had in a while with games. But I’m sure if I played this alone it wouldn’t have been any fun. We then played some old fighting games. A few weeks later I met a girl. She was playing God of War 3 and Resident Evil 5 which I strangely found to be exceedingly boring. This coming from a guy who thinks Resident Evil 4 was one of the best games ever! We found out that we had much more fun together playing Mario Kart or Rock Band and even Mario Sunshine.

Mario Kart (Wii) – People don’t usually play Mario Kart for more than an hour. They also don’t usually play it alone. So for short, multiplayer fun, Mario Kart is a good choice. It also has vibrant graphics with nostalgic and alluring courses like Bowser’s Castle and Boo’s Haunted House.

My mind just doesn’t work the same way it did. I used to care about mastering a game. I used to care about beating every aspect in the game. I used to enjoy looking back and reminiscing about the great games I conquered. Now I feel like the more time I put into video games, the more time I drain out of my life. If I play a game, I’m looking for fun and to enjoy my life. I just look at it as a form of short entertainment now. I guess this just may be the result of a hardcore gamer that has burnt himself out.

There are some hardcore games I really am anticipating, however. The Elder Scrolls V, Bioshock Infinite, and Final Fantasy XIII Versus are all games I’m dying for waiting to come out. But will I even enjoy them when they come out? I will definitely buy them. But time will tell. Five hours into them and hopefully I won’t feel like I’m wasting my time.

Bioshock Infinite (PS3/X360) – Could an original idea bring "casual" gamers into the hardcore crowd? Bioshock offers a brilliant change in gaming scenery with a sky-based metropolis overrun with controversy and perhaps some type of genetic enhancement. Surely it will grab casual gamers’ attention for at least a little while.

If I don’t enjoy these upcoming games I will be disappointed with myself. But for the time being, I have found a way to enjoy games that aren’t quite hardcore or casual. I have started playing old-school games. Games like Super Castlevania 4 and MegaMan 2, just quick, simple fun like the old days.

Comments (12)

I feel the same way lately...

I love video games. However, now I feel guilty for playing them too much or if I play them at all. I loved Demon's Souls, but found when I tried to "platinum' the game, I could not do it, because I felt like I put too much time into it in the first place. I always feel like there is something else I should be doing. Reading, working out, working on my house, or whatever. I usually only pick up games that are quick, easy, and don't take up too much time. Sadness....

Demon's Souls

kinda jacked me up. I beat the game in 2 weeks. After I beat the game someone invaded my world and I had at least 100k souls. I really didn't want to die and I really didn't want anyone to invade my world. Because, you know- you are granted your life after you beat a boss. He invaded my world instantly after I beat the game and we battled for 30 minutes. I wasn't going to lose and neither was he. The battle was very intense. We used countless dark moon grass and all the items for bleeding and poison and stuff while fighting regular wandering enemies at the same time, it was just too much for me, and I'm pretty sure him too. So he bailed and we were both left with nothing. I was almost pretty much done with the game after that.

I did eventually go back but not with the same intense drive I had. Platinum-ing the game is on my agenda but way way low on priority list.

hard 2 casual

In my younger years, I gamed a lot. I always had a controller in my hand. Sometimes things change and for good reasons. As my responsibilites grew, my gaming decreased. Job, girlfriend/wife, rent/mortgage, utilities, and the biggest killer of gaming time, kids: all keep myself from gaming. Now-a-days, I buy a lot of games (mostly games I heard or read were good), but I don't play most of them. I figure, when I'm old & retired, I'll have the time to play them. I hope that will happen.

I hear ya

That is exactly how I have been feeling for the last 2 years or so. Now the only games I play are ones I play with friends and family (madden, nhl, halo, and mario kart) but I really miss getting into good single player games. I actually joined 1up in an attempt to "reconnect" with gaming in general because I kind of miss getting into games the way I use to.

Solution of sorts

I felt that way a couple of times. The reasons are the usual-what jgusw mentioned.

as a lone gamer, I did find a kind of a workaround where I can still enjoy gaming, and not have that burnt-out feeling: multiple games played for shorter periods of time.

I am an RPG fan, so I play multiple games at the same time. The trick, I found, is variety: FF XIII for lighthearted play and gorgeous scenery; Demon's Souls for oppressive....well everything!; Dragon Age for expansivess and depth; and now looking forward to the upcoming (PS3) Mass Effect 2. I spend a coupla hours on each over several weeks. In addition, I sprinkle in other types of games; NCAA 2011, Burnout Paradise, and GOW3. These do not take more than one hour each time I pop them in. Oh...there's the iPhone too!

So I play several games for shorter sitting time, spread them over a long period of caledar time, and end up managing life in the process without having my gaming 'intrude' into it-not to mention the related 'guilt'.

One 'negative' thing with this strategy is that it puts you out of sync with the gamers who are on top of the latest and greatest. But, just as in movies, I finally feel ok with not having to get the latest, or be the first on the block to own game x.

Heck, a week or two without gaming could rekindle the love affair (the crash-diet-after-the-Holidays approach!)

I took three months off

and it was the best thing I'd ever done for my gaming habit. Prior to that, I would play games with reckless abandon, yet I was never that interested in any of them. It had become a weird sort of addiction. Now, I only play games here and there, and I enjoy them, but they're not a crutch like I felt like they used to be.

Point being, if a "casua"l gamer isn't defined by what kind of a game one plays (i.e. Wii Sports Vs. Elder Scrolls), but rather how much time one spends with a game, I say it would be better if we all became a little more casual. I can only speak for myself, but it's definitely improved my quality of life.

This is true

A Wii Sports player completely obsessed with getting the high score can be just as hardcore as anyone else. But I'm sure that he/she will want to find something more challenging afterwards. Maybe Wii Sports Resort Lol.

10 hours a day?

Having also experienced burnout, for different reasons, I am more selective of the games I spend money on and invest time in. I'm not interested in playing a game as just something to kill time or boredom, but to engage me with mechanics or presentation or settings that stand out in a sea of generic product. Exploring ideas and themes doesn't hurt. If that means investigating options that are perceived as casual or simplistic, so be it. A game like Flower, which occupies the extreme end of Experience vs. Mechanics, is of more interest to me than a game that does not go all the way with either, like Fallout 3 (meaning the RPG mechanics/rules aren't hardcore enough, but their prescence and having to deal with them distracts from what could be an evocative virtual reality; not too mention the environments aren't alive or expressive enough to accomplish that anyway). By the same token a game, like say Super Meatboy which focuses almost exclusively on gameplay and challenge is also of more interest than a game that compromises in the middle. It's not exactly casual, but it's not big budget "AAA" either.

I also don't feel a game has to be played from beginning to end to be worth anything. Worrying about not having finished a game is an unnecessary stress.

Yes, 10 hours ; ;

That lasted for over a couple years after high school. I took time off and got gamefly and FFXI and just blew my mind and beat countless games and nearly mastered an MMO. It was an unheathy time. My parents didn't enjoy that very much. Lol I worked a bit tho.

I agree with the statement about not worrying about an unfinished game, but I feel bad purchasing a game when I have a few in my backlog I haven't even started. I can't help it. It feels like I've wasted money.

Even more so, when I buy a new game for $50-$60, and play it for maybe 20 minutes. Then leave it alone for a while. A matter of months months later it drops to $20. It kind of makes it feel like I have to play it even harder to get my money's worth.

I've always....

...just focused on a small handful of really good games. That's kept me interested. I can't and won't buy everything out there just to have it, but I do keep an eye out for games that seem to be picking up fans that would otherwise be off my radar.

I have a lot of games that I haven't "finished", and although I want to finish them, it will happen when it happens, and it's still better than paying $60 for a one-day wonder. That's what the save function is for.

Lately, I've also been going "retro", although I prefer the PS1 for my "retro" fix over the NES or SNES.

Lastly, the DS and the PSP have been godsends for gaming on a busy schedule. I don't really want to play games on a smartphone, however. But whether you pick up a quick game like Lumines or an epic game like Ys Seven, if you need a diversion, just whip it out, and when you're done, just set the "standby" function and done.

tank on E

and to think i was the only one feeling burned out. i've been playing alot games that consist of highscore posting for leaderboards. it has been fun beating highscores of my friends. gaming is a great thing, sometimes you just have to switch on and off the BEAST mode to make gaming more fun.